Frank Watty was born at Portsmouth, Dominica and was educated at the Portsmouth Government School, later attending the Dominica Grammar School.He won a Federal Scholarship to the University of the West Indies from which he graduated with a B.Sc (Economics) London-U.W.I.

He worked in the Ministry of Finance as an Economist and subsequently studied Agricultural (Land) Economics at the University of Guelph and Regional Planning and Resource Utilization at the University of Waterloo, graduating with an M.A. degree.

Frank returned to Dominica where he served as an economist-planner in the (then) Chief Minister's Office, but returned shortly after to Canada where he held a variety of posts in provincial and municipal governments, including, economist (Ontario Ministry of Treasury and Economics), planner (Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs), senior planner (Regional Municipality of Waterloo), Director of Planning (Regional Municipality of Waterloo), Provincial Adjudicator/Ontario Municipal Board (Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General).

Frank is a professional mediator, negotiator and arbitrator (Alternative Dispute Resolution), and has obtained certificates in Ecological Assessment and Planning. He holds the professional designations of Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP), Ontario Professional Planning Institute (OPPI), and Registered Professional Planner in Ontario (RPP). In addition, he sits on the Board of Examiners for the Ontario Professional Planning Institute. Frank has lectured extensively at various Ontario universities, including, University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Guelph, Queens University and University of Windsor and has been Adjunct Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Waterloo.

Frank is an active member of the Commonwealth of Dominica Association of Ontario and has served as its President. He is now retired from the Ontario Public Service and operates a sole practitioner planning consultancy, Frank Watty Consultancies Inc, based in Waterloo Ontario and specializing in economic, land use and tourism planning. He is the recent author of IMMORTELLE, a book of poems. He is married and the father of two sons.